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GR: Fachverband Gravitation, Relativistische Astrophysik und Kosmologie

GR 8: Gravitational Waves II

GR 8.2: Talk

Wednesday, March 18, 2026, 14:00–14:15, KH 01.016

Mission Concepts for future space-based Gravitational Wave Detectors — •Jones Rosario — MPI for Gravitational Physics (AEI), Hannover, Germany

Gravitational waves are ripples in space-time caused by some of the most energetic processes in our universe. Since the first detection by LIGO in 2015, over 200 further signals have been observed. In 2035, the ESA-led space mission LISA is set to launch and will have it's highest sensitivity in the mHz band. With this, LISA's sensitivity will lie between the high-frequency window (hertz to kilohertz) of ground based detectors such as LIGO and Virgo, and the nano-hertz regime probed by PTAs. However, these detectors will not cover the gravitational wave spectrum entirely. Particularly, there are gaps in the decihertz and the microhertz regime, which could be addressed by future space missions. In the context of ongoing efforts to propose mission concepts to ESA for the 2050s, we will discuss mission concepts proposed in literature that aim to probe these bands. We further extend on this and present current developments towards realistic designs with respect to technical feasibility and affordability.

Keywords: Gravitational waves; LISA; Laser Interferometry; mission concepts; gravitational wave detection